The specific aim of this research is to conduct a longitudinal comparative study of the ways in which social networks and social support systems inhibit, moderate, or facilitate the utilization of long term care services among elderly Korean Americans and nonHispanic whites by examining: the role of family, friends and other community networks; institutional and cultural barriers; knowledge and information about health care and social services; and, need for health care and social services, among a population varying in levels of acculturation and socioeconomic Status (SES) as well as differences in age cohorts and gender. The overall purpose of this research is to examine how social networks and social supports enhance the functioning and independence of the elder to maintaing him/her in the community. A community-based comparative two-wave panel survey of the use of informal and formal networks and how they change over time as individual need changes among the older Korean American population of Los Angeles County is proposed. Approximately 400 respondents (200 Korean Americans and 200 non-Hispanic whites) aged 65+ will be interviewed face-to-face at two intervals, approximately two years apart. Interviews will encompass the following domains: contextual (acculturation, SES, gender, age, and other background variables), service indicators (need for health care and social services, knowledge and information, barriers), moderators (social networks and social support) and utilization and outcome (health care and social service use). The overall research methodology will employ a blended methodology of focus groups and structured interviews. Data analysis is directed at both descriptive and explanatory objectives. Descriptive analyses include: frequency distributions and transformations to improve these distributions as necessary; comparisons of sample characteristics to those of population to assess representation; calculation of levels of key variables for the entire sample and the sub-groups, etc. Explanatory analyses will include confirmatory factor analysis, latent variable causal models and stratified causal and linear models.